The Paper Work

In March, Matthew and I finally managed to compile all of the papers necessary to apply for his Canadian citizenship. It was a long and annoying process that required lots of photographic evidence of our relationship, a repetition of our personal information on form, after form, after form, and meticulous precision. The government of Canada is very clear about the fact that if even one of the blanks is filled out incorrectly, the forms will be returned, and the process will start all over again. You're not allowed to leave any of the blanks empty, even if they do not pertain to you. You have to write N/A in those spaces, or the forms will be returned. Sounds pretty scary, huh? The forms are all available online, as is an instruction guide, which is so detailed that is almost confusing. Nevertheless, I have to stress that the process is absolutely doable, and you DO NOT need a lawyer to complete these forms.

These are all of the forms that needed to be completed with our application. Some of them are several pages long.

Here are the forms stacked on top of each other.....They barley fit in the envelope below!

I am so proud of myself for having done this by myself. Matthew helped compile the information, of course, and my mother and sister helped with the proofing of the documents.

In early April, I got a letter from the government saying that I was approved as a sponsor, and that Matthew's papers have been forwarded to the Canadian embassy in Buffalo. Yesterday, Matthew got a letter stating that his application had been received in Buffalo, and is now being processed. All we have to do is wait!